Siri vs Cortana: Apple gently trolled in new Microsoft advert (video)

Microsoft has released one of the first adverts promoting Windows Phone 8.1 and it has, rather disappointingly, chosen to place a greater emphasis on the shortcomings of a competitor, rather than its own qualities.

"Cortana, when my wife calls, remind me to tell her 'happy anniversary,'" the narrator tells his Lumia 635. The low-end phone agrees to the task, before Siri (speaking through the iPhone 5S) replies, "Oh no, I cannot do that."

The narrator then asks Cortana to remind him to buy roses when he next approaches a flower shop. Microsoft's digital assistant again obliges, while Apple's concedes, "I can't do that either."

Finally, the 635 delivers a traffic alert to its owner, who thanks it and picks it up. The iPhone then declares, "Now that is a smart phone."

The commercial brings back memories of Apple's famous old "1984" ad (below), in which the then upstart took a swipe at IBM, which was already a tech superpower.

Of course, the two have now agreed to a partnership, which Steve Jobs would probably not be too pleased about.